Laura Fern Crawford

Photo Grad Class 1918
Courtesy Archivist, Vancouver General Hospital School of Nursing, via Tom Cully

Laura Fern Crawford
b- Jan 16, 1888 in Durham Co. ON
d- Oct 31, 1918, in Anyox Hospital, age 30
buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver BC
She attended State College of Washington, at Pullman, WA, USA, 1912-1913
She then attended a 3 year nursing course in the General Hospital
Nursing School in Vancouver BC, where she graduated in 1918

ca Oct 1918- Nurse Crawford returned to Anyox after a short vacation, and died only a week after arriving, from the 1918 Spanish flu that was rampant in the town.
GTP steamer, SS Prince Rupert, brought her body to Vancouver on Nov 5th..

Per BC death cert she died age 21, therefore born ca 1897
Per Tom's research below, this date appears to be wrong.

Feb 27, 2016 received this update on Nurse Crawford, from Thomas M. “Tom” Cully, Howe Sound BC: “The nurse, Laura F. Crawford, I’ve confirmed with the Vancouver General Hospital School of Nursing archivist she was in the 1918 graduating class.
The Vancouver Daily World of June 26, 1918 lists her as being in the graduating class, under the name 'Laura Fern Crawford’.
Therefore, she had only been working for 4 months when she died in the pandemic at Halloween of that year.
Adjacent to her in the Cemetery, there is William James Wells CRAWFORD (1857 - Jul-27-1931), and Ruby CRAWFORD (1862 - Jan-16-1921).
These Dates are according to cemetery records.
A 'William James Crawford’ died that exact date in Toronto.
I can’t find a BC death stat for him.
There’s an Ontario birth record in Durham Co. for Laura Fern Crawford (16 January 1888 - ) to Wells W Crawford and Rubie Backwater.
Therefore, I’d think she was 30 when she passed.
Of course, the BC death record says she was born in 1897, but based on the ‘white cane’ poking I’ve done, I’m getting comfortable with the 1888 DOB.”

Her father William James Crawford, came to Vancouver ca 1906.
born Mar 1857 in ON
He was a Real Estate Broker, office at 1802 Powell.
Her mother Ruby Backwater was born Nov 1863 in USA
Laura was a Milliner, as early as 1910 until 1915,
She was a milliner at D. Spencers Ltd, Dry Goods Store.

Tom Cully then researched all of her siblings shown below:

William James Wells Crawford and Rebecca J. Buckwalter (“Ruby”) had up to 9 children:

1. Gertrude F. Crawford (1884 - )

2. William Crawford (1885 - )

3. Clarence Miles Crawford (1886 – 1951 in San Jose, California).
Married Valetta Mary Hand (1894-1959) in 1907.

4. Enna Crawford (1888 - )
this is probably a transcription error on the 1911 Vancouver census for Laura Fern

5. Laura Fern Crawford, RN (1888-1918)

6. Bertie Wallace Crawford (1892-1969 in Seneca, South Carolina)

7. Elizzie Crawford (February 1895 - ) listed on the Vancouver 1911 census
but Clyde is born 7 months later.
No other information was found for an Elizabeth.

8. Clyde Colton Crawford (September 10, 1895-1942)
Had a daughter, Wanda Georgina (1917-) by his 1st of 3 wives.
Lived and died in Seattle.

9. Wallace Wells Crawford (1897-1943)
Lived in California, Idaho and died in Oregon

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